Installation of rail bonds



H. H. FEBREY i 2,135-,888

Nov. 8, 1938.

INSTALLATION OF RAIL BONDS .2 Sheets-Sheet l i Original Filed Dec. 8, 1935 Nov. 8, 1938. H. H. FEBRx-:Y 2,135,888

INSTALLATION OF HAIL BONDS Original Filed Deo. 8, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov'. V8, 41938 INSTALLATION or aan. norms Harold H. Febrey, South Orange, N. J., aasignor to. The American Stee and Wire Company or New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey original application December s, .1988, serial Divided and uns February 4, 1936, Serial No. 62,366

application 'My present invention 4relates to the installation of rail bonds of the solid stud terminal type and is a division from my co-pending application entitled. Rail bonds, filed December 8, 1933, and bearing Serial No. 701,521.

A bond of this type conventionally includes a Aconductor strand furnished with a pair of solid webs of the rails.

, The above type of bond has not been entirely satisfactory for a number of reasons. One is the erratic installations effected bythe compressor, known gages having proven quite insumcient for the purpose of accurate pressure regulation. Another is that excessively long conductors are required to span the splice bars, this-being necessary because o! the web installations. A further reason is that, even when properly installed,

a bond oi this character is subject to failure underl service conditions, temperature changes causing the copper studs to loosen sufficiently to allow water seepage and a consequent conductivity decrease.

`With the intention of 'remedying the above troubles, I provide an installationmethod for a terminal provided with a solid stud, which is adapted for insertion and subsequent expansion in a railroad rail'. which is characterized in that the stud is inserted into this opening and subsequently expanded by penetration. Since the pro jectile will ordinarily have relatively little weight,

it follows that its velocity must be rather high,

for instance. three thousand or more feet per second. v

One feature of the above is that relatively'small charges of an explosive may be used to propel the projectilel to the desired velocity and that, in the case of a number of installations, these charges may be easily proportioned to produce equal velocities in each and every instance, this producing identical penetrating forces at all times if the same projectile. or a number of projectiles of equal weight, isused.l In other words, agun of suitable design provided with a number ofy 55 cartridges which are similarly charged with a suitable explosive, and which handles a. single captive projectile, or a number of free projectiles of equal weight, may be used to expand the studs of solid stud terminal rail bonds, by penetration of the same, each and every stud being thereby 5 equally expanded.

Further, the penetration possibilities of an explosively propelled projectile are practically unlimited, as is evidenced by the performance of modern ymilitary rearms. This permits the fur- 10 ther improvements in the `installation and construction of a bond of the solid stud terminal type, consisting in forming recesses in the sides of the heads of the rails being bonded, and constructing the bond terminals so that they provide Vsolid l studs which are -w'ider than they are long, these studs` being linsertable into the recesses mentioned.. Then, by shooting a projectile completely through the bodies of the terminals and into the studs, by means of explosives, the studs are 20 expanded to complete the installations. Since this permits installation of the bond to the heads 4of rails, shorter conductor strands may be used.

I furtherv improve on the terminals themselves by constructing them so they provide solid steel 25 studs, or by making the terminal bodies and studs integral and of solid steel. These terminals may be easily fastened in openings in the steel rails, and will -not loosen 'because they expand and contract equally with these rails. Referring now to the speciiic examples of terminals and various installations of the same as illustrated by the accompanying drawings:

.Figure l isa longitudinal sectional view of a rail bond terminal as it appears when installed a5 by my method tothe head of a rail. y

Figure 2 is a cross-section from the line II--Il lln Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 are longitudinal sectional views showing my installation method.

Figures 5 and 6 are sectional views showing a gun suitable for use with my method.

Figures'l and 8 are "sectional views showing modicatlons of the terminal installation shown by the first two ngures. 45

Figures 9 and 10 show my .method as applied to rail web installations.

Figure 11 isa sectional view showing a completed web installation.

Figures 12 and 13 showy ures 9 andll.

' Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2 The numeral I designates a railroad rail. It is to be assumed that this is the end portion of 5s odincauons ofrig- 5 tion of another raiL-th'e two rails cartridge is the`rail which is closely adjacent-the end porbeing spliced together and requiring electrical bonding.

A recess Il is formed in the head of the rail I. 'I'he bond consists of a conductor strand 2,V furnished with a'. terminal 3, the latter providing a ilattened portion 3b from which a stud 4 projects.

This stud is closely itted into the recess Il. I'he conductor 2 is, of course, provided with another similar terminal at its other end which is slmilarly installed to the other rail.

Figures 3 and 4 show'how this terminal was installed. Figure 3 shows a projectile 5 about to penetrate through the flattened portion 3b of the terminal 3 and into the solid stud 4. This .projectile is moving at high velocity, as has al- Preferably, the entire terminal is constructed of solid steel so that the attened portion 3b and th'e stud 4 are solid integral parts.

The gun illustrated by Figures 5 and 6 is intended to be merely suggestive of one suitable type. It includes a piston 6 which is ilxed to the end of the projectile 5 and slides in a chamber 1. A spring 8 functions to retract the projectile after it has done its work. It is apparent that with this type of gun the projectile is removed after each operation and subsequently reused. weight may be considered a constant factor, leaving only its velocity to be considered. In case free projectiles are used, care should be taken to proportion them so that they all have equal weights.

I'he projectile 5 travels in a barrel 9 formed in a relatively heavy head I 0,.the piston 6 being restrained by this head. All the parts mentioned are mounted by a rotative frame II which turns in a breech part I2. A passage I3, which connects with the chamber "I, is chambered to Areceive one of the cartridges Il carrying the explosive charges. structed similarly to the blank cartridges furnished by ammunitionmanufacturers. However, greater care should be taken in proportioning the explosive charges in each, to the end of securing absolutely uniform explosive forces.

Continuing, a ilring pin Il* is positioned by the part I2 so as to strike the cartridge in the chamber I 3, it being assumed that the cartridges used are primed in the usual manner. is urged to cam-like engagement with the pin Il", by a spring I 6, a suitable trigger mechanism I1 providing the necessary control. 'I'he part I2 should also be 'provided with a suitable handle l'whereby proper manipulation may be eected.

In the operation of the just described gun. a

inserted, the hammer is properly centered on the flattened of the terminal. `Firing causes the projectile 5 to perform its function and then immediately return to its initial position. -The necessary pressure release in the chamber I may be obtained th ough properly positioned vent the head I8 portion 3b 'It is to be understoodthat the advantages of the above are particularly great when alarge number :of rail bond installations are necessary. Since the gun is relatively light, only one workthe projectile 2| These cartridges maybe con- A hammer I5,

cocked and appropriate points. 'Ihe bonds are arranged with their terminal studs in these openings 'and the projectile, or projectiles, are shot into these studs.

Figure 7 illustrates a modification wherein the recess Il is provided with an annular groove I b. Figure 8 shows the recess as having internal screw threads I. -Such'modiflcations may prove ad vantageous where extreme service conditions are encountered.

Figure 9 shows my yinstallation method as ap-y plied to xing a solid stud terminal I9-to the web of a, rail 20. In this case a hole is formed completely through the web and a free projectile 2I is shot through the terminal into the solid stud IS.

Figure 10 shows a modification of Figure 9 in that a relatively deep depression I9b is formed in the attened portion which lies outside of the hole through the web.

with the projectile 2| embedded in the terminal.

Figures l2 and 13 show an installation similar to that shown by Figures 9 and 11, excepting that is shot directly into the terminal stud. That is to say, it is red into the opposite side of the terminal and travels through the stud 1I 8l before it reaches the exterior body portion of the terminal.

Now it should be noted that-the captive pro- Y -25 Figure l1 shows the completed installation,y

jectile 5 is provided with a pointed conical por tion Iia and a flattened portion 5F. Penetration of the portion 5a starts a iiow of metal which might tend towards dislodgement from the recess I, but this tendency isimmediately overcome when the shoulder 5b strikes the terminal, since a force is then exerted against the surface ofthe terminal which retards such outward iiow of metal. Due to the extremely high velocity of the projectile 5, this force is exerted practically simultaneously with the penetration of the projectiles conical portion 5l.

The free projectile 2| is shown Without such aattened portion, the extra force not being considered necessary in the case of a stud positioned completely through a'. hole in the webof a rai/Sil; In connection with the use of this free projectile, it should be noted that projectiles of the free type may alsobe lpointed and that,

when embedded in the terminal, a solid unit is formed with the metal of the terminal in intimate contact withthe pointed portion of the ious studs illustrated are in all cases'straight and parallel, this being for the purpose of permitting their free insertion during their installation. In all cases where depressions are formed inxthe flattened portions of the terminal, the depressions should be arranged substantially in line with the solid studs. f

I claim:

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